Tiltable tower game



United States Patent Oiiice Patented May 19, 1970 3,512,775 TILTABLETOWER GAME Bobbie S. Harvey, RR on Island, Tracy, Iowa 50256 Filed Mar.21, 1967, Ser. No. 625,561 Int. Cl. A63f 9/00 U.S. Cl. 273-1 9 ClaimsABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A tower structure including a plurality ofsections with weight elements therein disposed upon a platform which isadapted to have its angle of support selectively changed by anadjustment member. The tower will tip over or remain standing dependingupon the angle of the support platform. The center of gravity of thetower may be varied by the selective rotating of the weighted sectionsand thereby change the angle at which the tower may tilt before itbegins to tip.

This invention is a game or an amusement device involving the tower ofPisa. The tower of Pisa as is well known, has leaned for many years at asubstantial angle to the vertical without falling. This game thuschallenges the player to see how much he can tilt the miniature towerwithout it falling. Scoring indicia is provided to indicate the amountof tilt as an adjustment member is operated which pivots a support baseportion on which the tower rests. The tower is made up of a plurality ofsections stacked end to end with certain of the sections having weightsor ballasts olf their longitudinal center such that when they are placedin the tower they will change the towers center of gravity andaccordingly varying the angle of tilt that will cause the tower to tip.

These and other features and advantages of this invention will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to thefollowing description when taken into consideration with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the amusement device of this invention;

|FIG. 2 is a cross sectional View taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3' in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tower section illustratingthe ballast inside thereof;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of the base with thepivotal base portion for supporting the tower; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective -view of the adjustment slide member which whenoperated selectively varies the angle of tilt of the tower.

The amusement device of this invention is generally referred to in FIG.1 by the reference numeral 10 and includes a support base 12 on which atower 14 is positioned.

The tower 14 which simulates the leaning tower of Pisa is made up of aplurality of intermediate sections 16 stacked one on top of the other.Each of the tower sections 16 has the same diameter and shape. The basesection 18 is the same diameter as the section 16 but is taller like inthe actual tower of Pisa. The uppermost or top cap section 20 issubstantially smaller in diameter. Each of the top sections has anannular outer peripheral ange 22 and a top end wall 23 for receiving thelower open end of a tower section. Each of the sections includes aninner concentric flange 24 for receiving the lower open end of thesmaller top section 20.

A weight or ballast element 26 is provided on the inner side wall ofeach of the sections. Accordingly, each time the sections are stackedthe center of gravity of the tower will be different. The weights may beof different shapes and located as desired off the center axis of thesections.

The section 12 includes an opening 30 in which a pivotal base portion 32is positioned. The pivotal base portion 32 has a shaft 34 extendingalong one end and is snapped into semicylindrical recesses 36 formed inthe top wall 37 on opposite sides of the opening 30. The pivotal baseportion 32 is substantially semicircular in shape and thus includes anouter rounded edge 38. A rearwardly extending tab element 40 is providedfor engaging the bottom side of the top base wall 37 adjacent the rearend to prevent the pivotal base portion or door 32 from pivoting too fardownwardly through the opening 30.

A slide adjustment member 50 extends between a pair of parallel verticalside walls 52 on the underside of the top wall 37 of the base 12. Aslide member 50 includes a flat cam portion 54 having an upwardly curvedinner end 56 sliding over a supporting table top or the like. Theopposite end of the cam portion 54 is integral with a downwardlyextending portion 56 which is connected to a horizontally disposed atportion 58 extending outwardly through an opening in the front wall 59of the base 12. A finger actuating upstanding tab 60 is provided on theouter end edge of the portion 58. Scoring indicia 62 is provided alongthe side edge of the portion 58 and may be read by noting the markingclosest to the front end wall 59 of the base 12. A downwardly extendingtab 70 is provided on opposite sides of the cam portion 54 andfrictionally engage the walls 52. of the base 12 to hold the slideadjustment member 50 against accidental movement.

It is thus seen that the outer free rounded edge 38 of the pivotal baseportion or trap door 32 engages the outer surface of the cam portion 54and as the slide member 50 is moved inwardly and outwardly the angle ofthe trap door 32 is varied consequently causing the tower to tilt backand forth as seen for example by the solid lines and dash line positionsin FIG. 3. The object of the game of course is to pull the slide member50 as far outwardly as possible thereby tilting the tower as much aspossible v without it falling ofr of the trap door 32. The farther theslide member 50 is pulled outwardly the higher the number will be thatis registered on the portion 58.

It is to be appreciated that the assembling of the tower sections afterthe tower has fallen will very unlikely result in the same arrangementand thus giving the tower a diiferent center of gravity and consequentlychanging the angle of tower tilt that is required to tip the tower overwhen the slide member `50 is operated. Each time the game is operated itprovides a new and different challenge since it will not operate thesame twice.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of myamusement device without departing from the real spirit and purpose ofmy invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modiedforms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may bereasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. An amusement device, comprising,

a base member,

a portion of said base member being pivotal about a horizontal axis,

a tower positioned on said pivotal base portion,

adjustment means for selectively pivoting said pivotal base portion,

said tower being comprised of a series of separate sections stackedtogether,

certain of said sections having a center of gravity differing fromcertain of said other sections,

3 said sections having a different center of gravity having ballastmeans located remotely of the vertical center axis of said sectionswhereby rotation of said sections varies the center of gravity of saidsections.

2. An amusement device, comprising,

a base member,

a portion of said base member being pivotal about a horizontal axis,

a tower positioned on said pivotal base portion,

adjustment means for selectively pivoting said pivotal base portion, and

said adjustment means including a cam portion engaging said pivotalportion,

said cam portion being movable relative to said pivotal position topivot said pivotal portion between a substantially horizontallyextending position to a downwardly extending position.

3. The structure of claim 2 and an indicator means measuring therelative movement between said cam portion and said pivotal portion.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said cam portion is enclosed by saidbase and said indicator means is connected to said cam portion andextends outwardly of said base.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein the cam portion extends under anddownwardly of the free end of said pivotal portion whereby as saidadjustment means is moved outwardly of said base said free end of saidpivotal portion moves downwardly along said cam portion thereby tiltingsaid tower.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said adjustment means is formed froman integral member comprising said cam portion on the inner end thereof,and a downwardly extending portion connected to said indicator means andextending in a horizontal plane with an outer end portion exposed formanually operating said adjustment means.

7. An amusement device, comprising, a base member, a portion of saidbase member being pivotal about a horizontal axis,

4 a tower positioned on said pivotal base portion, adjustment means forselectively pivoting said pivotal base portion,

said tower being comprised of a series of separate sections stackedtogether, and

said pivotal base portion including a pin element extending laterallyoutwardly from opposite sides thereof, said base having an openingformed therein and a recess on opposite sides of said opening forreceiving said pin elements whereby said base portion may pivot throughsaid opening.

8. An amusement device, comprising,

a base member,

a tower positioned on said base portion and having a longitudinal centeraxis,

adjustment means for selectively tilting said base portion and saidtower,

said tower being comprised of a series of separate sections stackedtogether, and

certain of said sections having a ballast means having a center ofgravity located remotely of said longitudinal center axis whereby uponrotation of one of said sections the center of gravity of said towerwill be changed.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said stacked sections havecomplementary abutting ends adapted to permit rotation therebetween tovary the center of gravity of said tower.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,387,846 6/1968 Glass et al.3,402,929 9/1968 Glass et al. 273-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,131,599 1956France.

467,827 1928 Germany.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner P. E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner

